February Frenzy in June?

Put on your coat and get over to a nice, cool gym near you.

High school basketball teams seem to be busier than ever.

Dozens of boys and girls teams are playing in summer leagues across the Valley and state.

I attended a girls summer competition over the weekend to watch my niece play.

It is amazing to see how much she and some of her teammates have improved in just a few short months since the state tournament.

Players must be in mid-season shape, often playing two or three games in the same day. The games I attended featured two 20-minute halves (running clock) instead of four eight-minute quarters.

The girls didn’t hold anything back. They ran the floor, made their cuts and passed, blocked each other out on rebounds and played defense just as they would in the state tournament.

A victory might not bring hardware in the form of a trophy, but it still does wonders in terms of gaining confidence.

My goodness, some of the schools already are taking senior pictures! That means that the start of school is not far off, with the start of practice not too far behind on Nov. 1. It seems like a lot of time between now and then, but it really isn’t.

So if your favorite player tells you that she/he has a tournament coming up, it’s certainly worth a look. The players deserve your support.